Door mechanism



y 20, 1958 J. o. ROP 2,835,244

DOOR MECHANISM Filed April 1, 1955 United States Patent @fitice 2,835,244 Patented May 20, 1958 DOOR MECHANISM James Rop, Grandville, Mich., assignor to Jervis Corporatlon, Grandville, Micl1., a corporation of Michigan Application April 1, 1955, Serial No. 498,492 5 Claims. (Cl. 126-191) This invention relates to an improved door mechanism and more particularly to an improved door mechanism leipecially adapted for use with a cooking range or the Cooking ranges constructed heretofore have incorporated an oven closure pivotally mounted for movement between a fully open and a fully closed position. In some ranges provision has been made for positioning the closure at one intermediate position for use during broiling operations and to permit more rapid cooling of the oven following use. In closures heretofore known it has been customary to incorporate the major portion of the operating mechanism therefor in the range cabinet and to merely provide a connecting link between the door and the isolated operating mechanism. Such a construction has produced many detrimental assembly and operating features, the elimination of which is the desideratutn of this invention.

It is therefore one important object of this invention to provide an improved door mechanism for cabinets such as cooking ranges in which the major portion of the operating mechanism is contained within the door.

It is another object of this invention to provide an improved door mechanism for a cooking range wherein the parts thereof which are subject to fatigue and failure are substantially isolated from the oven heat.

It is still another object of this invention to provide an improved door operating mechanism for cooking ranges in which the parts thereof are contained within the door, thus producing a construction of improved appearance.

it is still a further object of this invention to provide an improved door operating mechanism of a unitary construction whereby the range and the door may be independently assembled and integrated into a common structure by the attachment of the door to the range with a minimum number of externally accessible connectin means.

It is still another object of this invention to provide an improved door operating mechanism of greatly improved reliability which is capable of maintaining the door in a plurality of positions includinga closed position, a par tially open or broil position, and an infinite number of positions intermediate the broil and fully open positions. It is still another object of this invention to provide an improved door mechanism for a cooking range in which thedoor is renderedself balancing in all positions thereof and is maintained in the closed position with a substanadjacent to the lower edge of a generally rectangular opening in the oven of a conventional cooking range. More particularly, an operating mechanism is provided therefor in which an arm is pivotally mounted in the door and extends therefrom into the cabinet of the cooking range, said arm having an arcuate slot formed therein which engages a pin secured in the range. A helical spring is disposed within the door structure and has one end thereof secured to a point on the arm intermediate the pivot point thereof and the arcuate slot. The spring extends away from the hinge axis of the door and the other end of said spring is secured to the door panel at a point near the movable upper portion of the door. A slot portion contiguous with the arcuate slot is also formed in the arm in such a manner that whenever the pin is in engagement therewith the door will be forced to the closed position. Also, a discontinuity is formed in the edge of the arm at the juncture of the arcuate slot and slot portion whereby the door may be firmly maintained in a particular predetermined position corresponding to the position of said discontinuity. The latter position generally is referred to as the broil position.

For a more complete understanding of this invention reference will now be made to the accompanying drawing wherein:

Fig. 1 is a partial front view of a door panel incorporating the operating mechanism of this invention;

Fig. 2 is a partial sectional side view of the embodiment of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 illustrates a portion of a range cabinet including the portion of the operating mechanism which is secured thereto.

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to Fig. 2 the operating mechanism 10 of this invention is illustrated as it would normally be mounted adjacent to an opening in a range cabinet 14, a portion of which is shown. Operating mechanism 10 includes, generally an arm 16, a coil spring 44 and a roller 36 with which the arm 16 cooperates. tained within the hollow oven door 20. The hollow door 20 comprises an inner wall 22 spaced from an outer wall 24 with peripheral transverse walls 26 disposed therebetween. The door 20 is pivotally mounted on pins 30 which are secured in extending hinge arms 28 (one of which is shown). The door 20 is movable between a substantially vertical closed position as illustrated in Fig. 2 in full lines and a generally horizontal open position as illustrated by broken lines 32 in Fig. 2. The operating mechanism 10 is adapted to maintain the door 20 in both of these positions as well as in an infinite number of intermediate positions therebetween.

The arm 16 of the operating mechanism ll) has an arcuate slot 34 formed therein which receives the roller 36 rotatably mounted on a pin 38, said pin being nonrotatably secured in a mounting bracket 40. The bracket 40 is secured to the range cabinet 14 in any conventional man ner, for example, a pair of screws 42 may be employed. The helical spring 44 is mounted in the upper portion of the door panel 20, the lower end 46 of said spring being formed into a hook and engaging an aperture 48in the arm 16. The aperture 48 is disposed between the pivot point 18 of the arm 16 and the arcuate slot 34 which is formed therein. Thus, as illustrated in Fig. 2, the spring 44 is normally maintained under tension, urging the arm 16 to rotate about the pin 18 in a counterclockwise direction. Thus, the edge 50 of the arm 16 which forms the lower edge of the slot 34 will frictionally engage the roller 36 irrespective of the position of the door. The arcuate contour of the slot 34 is so selected that the frictional engagement with roller 36 will maintain the door in any desired position between the fully open position The arm 16 is mounted on a pin 18 con-,

and the position corresponding to the end point 52 of the arcuate slot portion. The slot 34 is closed at its free end so that the bight portion 54 of the arm will engage the roller 36 when the door is in the fully open position and will thus form a semi-rigid assembly as shown in dotted lines capable of supporting substantial weight.

A substantial depression or detent 56 is formed in the arm 16 adjacent to the termination 52 of slot portion 34 and this detent will receive the roller 36 in resiliently locked engagement to position the door 20 at a small acute angle relative to the oven opening. This position is generally termed the broil position of the door and is utilized both in broiling food and in cooling the range following use. A slot portion 58 is formed contiguously with the arcuate slot 34 and this slot portion is so shaped and disposed relative to the pivot pin 18 that the force of spring 44 will cause the roller 36 to ride along the lower edge of slot 58 and efiect positive resilient closure of the door. The door will be closed by the spring 44 acting on the arm 16 against the roller 36 whenever the door is moved toward the closed position a sufiicient distance to cause the roller 36 to ride over the lobe portion 60 intermediate the depression 56 and the slot portion 58. The slot portion 58 is, in this embodiment, a straight convergent slot formed at an acute angle to an axis 2.;

formed from aperture 43 to the pivot point 18. The slot may also be in the nature of a segment of a spiral formed about the pin 18, the spiral being so selected that the force exerted by spring 44 tending to cause arm 16 to rotate in a clockwise direction, drawing the door to a closed position, will exceed the frictional force between the roller and arm which normally tends to maintain the arm and the door in the position in which they are placed. As will be noted in Fig. 2, the broken lines 32 illustrate a handle 64 secured to the upper outer wall 24.

A mounting bracket 70 is mounted in the upper portion of the door 20 and is adapted to receive the upper end of spring 44. The upper end of spring 44 is in engagement with a pin 66 extending transversely through one of a plurality of apertures 68 in the mounting bracket 70. Thus, by shifting the position of pin 66 to various apertures 68, the tension in spring 44 may be varied.

The manner in which the door panel is secured to the range cabinet and the operating mechanism positioned and secured for cooperation therewith is more clearly shown in Fig. 3. As illustrated in Fig. 3, the door mechanism of this invention is shown applied to a cooking range having two adjacent oven openings. Thus the mounting bracket a is adapted to position the righthand door while the bracket 4015 which is identical to the bracket 40a, except for the relative positions of the hinge mounting members 28a, is mounted adjacent to the lefthand oven opening to position a door hingedly mounted relative thereto. Describing the right-hand door assembly in particular it can be seen that the hinge arm 28a extends outwardly from the cabinet 14 to receive the door panel (not shown) and that the mounting bracket 40a which receives the arm 16 (not shown) through a vertical slot 72, is mounted vertically on the cabinet 14 by the screws 42. The roller 36 is provided with a central circumferential recess to receive the slotted portion of the arm 16 and the roller is so mounted on the bracket 40a that the recessed portion of the roller 36 aligns with the vertical slot 72.

While one particular embodiment of this invention has been, described in detail it will be clear that various modi fications. and alterations may be made in the basic construction while still incorporating the novel features of this invention.

By this invention a new door operating mechanism is provided which will be a complete unit attachable to any conventional cooking range or the like and well adapted for subassembly prior to completion of the range. Furthermore the major portion of the, operating mechanism is contained within the door assembly, thus improving the appearance, safety, and operability of the apparatus.

Without further elaboration, the foregoing will so fully explain the character of my invention that others may, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt the same for use under varying conditions of service, while retaining certain features which may properly be said to constitute the essential items of novelty involved, which items are intended to be defined and secured to me by the following claims.

3. claim:

1. Closure means for an opening in a cabinet such as a cooking range comprising a generally planar hollow panel forming the closure for such opening and hingedly mounted adjacent one edge thereof to the cabinet, and position maintaining means for said hollow panel comprising an arm pivotally mounted within said panel at a point removed from the hinge axis thereof and extending into said cabinet, a roller mounted in said cabinet, said arm having an arcuate edge adapted to engage said roller,

and spring means within said hollow panel having one end I thereof secured to said arm at a point intermediate the pivot point thereof and said arcuate edge, said spring extending in said hollow panel away from said hinge axis, the other end of said spring being secured in said panel.

2. Closure means for an opening in a cabinet such as a cooking range comprising a generally planar hollow panel forming the closure for such opening and hingedly mounted adjacent the lower edge thereof to the cabinet, and position maintaining means for said hollow panel comprising an arm pivotally mounted within said panel and extending into said cabinet, a roller mounted in said cabinet, said arm having an arcuate edge adapted to engage said roller, the center of curvature of said arcuate portion being above said roller and spring means mounted within said hollow panel and having one end thereof secured to said arm at a point intermediate the pivot point thereof and said arcuate edge and the other end of said spring secured in said panel above said pivot point.

3. Closure means for an opening in a cabinet such as a cooking range comprising a generally planar hollow panel forming the closure for such opening and hingedly mounted adjacent one edge thereof to the cabinet, and position maintaining means for said hollow panel com prising an arm pivotally mounted within said panel at a point removed from the hinge axis thereof and extending into said cabinet, a roller mounted in said cabinet, said arm having an arcuate edge adapted to engage said roller, and an edge portion contiguous with said arcuate edge, said edge portion being in the general shape of an arc with the portion thereof which joins said arcuate edge being farthest from the pivot point of said arm, a discontinuity being formed in said arcuate edge to receive said roller and maintain said panel in a predetermined angular position, and spring means within said hollow panel having one end thereof secured to said arm at a point intermediate the pivot point thereof and said arcuate edge, said spring extending in said hollow panel away from said hinge axis, the other end of said spring being secured in said panel.

4. In a cooking range cabinet defining an oven with a front opening therein, a closure comprising a hollow panel having spaced inner and outer walls and a peripheral interconnecting wall, panel supports extending from said cabinet adjacent said opening, said panel being hingedly mounted thereon for movement between a generally vertical closed position and a generally horizontal open position, and position maintaining means for said panel comprising an arm pivotally mounted within said panel at a point removed from the hinge axis thereof and extending into said cabinet, a roller mounted within said cabinet, said arm having an arcuate edge adapted to engage said roller, and spring means within said panel having one end thereof secured to said arm at a point 5 intermediate the pivot point thereof and said arcuate edge, said spring extending in said hollow panel away from said hinge axis, the other end of said spring being secured in said panel.

5, A cooking range comprising a cabinet defining an oven with a front opening therein, a hollow panel having spaced inner and outer walls and a peripheral interconnecting will, panel supports extending from said cabinet adjacent said opening, said panel being hingedly mounted thereon for movement between a generally vertical closed position and a generally horizontal open position and position maintaining means for said panel comprising an arm pivotally mounted within said panel at a point removed from the hinge axis thereof and extending into said cabinet, a roller mounted Within said cabinet, said arm having an arcuate slot and a contiguous generally straight slot portion formed therein through which said roller passes, said slot portion forming an acute angle with a line connecting the pivot point of said arm with the portion of said slot portion which joins said arcuate slot, and spring means within said panel having one end thereof secured to said arm at a point intermediate the pivot point thereof and said arcuate slot, said spring extending in said hollow panel away from said hinge axis, the other end of said spring being secured in said panel whereby said spring is normally under tension to produce frictional engagement between one edge of said arm adjacent the arcuate slot and the surface of said roller.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,683,447 Pollock et a1. July 13, 1954 

